19 Day Body Results

Friday saw the last day of the 19 Day Body Challenge I had joined up to at the beginning of January and it was time to take my measurements, weigh myself and do the 'after pictures'.  One of the reasons I set about doing this 19 day challenge was to prove to myself that I had self discipline when it comes to food and exercise, as I had been a little disappointed in myself over the last few months with some of the lifestyle choices I had made since moving down to London.  When my mind is set on something I can be extremely stubborn and I stuck to the 19 Day Body Plan to the letter. I did everything correctly and properly and as you can see from the pictures below it has definitely paid off.  In all I have lost half a stone in weight (which is probably the least important and least impressive aspect of my transformation) and a total of 9cm from around the waist (measured across the naval), 4cm off my bust, 4cm off my hips and 6cm off the largest part of my thighs.  That is a total of 23cm lost around the body as well as the visible toning effects that you can see below:

I think the picture results speak for themselves but I am absolutely over the moon with the outcome.  Just in case there are any doubters out there, both the before and after photos were taken on the same iPhone and I have not altered the pictures in anyway, these are real changes to my body as a result of a strict diet and exercise regime over the last 19 days.  Having finished the plan, I plan to continue with cutting out dairy and gluton from my diet, as I am convinced that I have an intolerance to these foods and have felt so much better, physically and mentally since cutting them out of my diet.  I hope that I can continue with the 'clean' eating as much as possible although I will obviously allow myself a few treats, life is too short to deny yourself all the time and anyone who knows me knows how much I love to eat out!

The story of how I came to do the 19 day body started more than 18 months ago when I saw an interview with Wild At Heart Actress, Lucy-Jo Hudson on This Morning.  I was amazed at how good she looked and how much weight she had lost compared to when I had last seen her on-screen as a teenager in Coronation Street and so contacted her on Twitter to ask what her secret was.  She replied telling me to follow Mark Raynsford, her Personal Trainer based in Farnham, Surrey who had changed her life.  I did and quickly found his blog and joined up to his newsletter 'Weight Loss Tips' which I have been receiving ever since.  I first started to consider signing up to the 19 Day Body he runs online numerous times a year around 12 months ago but, I admit, I was a little sceptical as to whether or not I could achieve results without actually having someone help me face to face.  I had a Personal Trainer who had done wonders for my fitness but had not managed to get me eating correctly, despite his best efforts, and I thought to myself if I couldn't even listen to my personal trainer who I was paying a lot of money to on a weekly basis, why would I follow the advice of someone who I had never met.  

My only regret with this whole 19 Day Body journey is that I had not pushed aside my reservations sooner and done it a year ago.  I can honestly say it has revolutionised my life.  It has made me realise how so much of how we look is through choice and, despite working long hours, if you are really focused and want to achieve something you will make time to fit exercising and cooking in.  Over the last four months I had used my long working days as an excuse to skip the gym or just snack on cheese on toast for dinner.  In the last 3 weeks I had 2 parents evenings that went on until 7.30 pm as well as meetings and training sessions lasting until that time on top of my usual planning, marking and resource making sessions that often keep me working until late into the evening.  I did not skip one exercise session or use being busy as an excuse not to rustle up a healthy and nutritious meal using the 'allowed' foods of proteins and super veg such as kale, broccoli and asparagus.  I am hopeful that now I am in a routine from the last 3 weeks, I can continue to do this when I go back to work tomorrow and will be setting my alarm for 6.00 am as I have done the last 3 weeks in order to fit in a morning workout.  I think the main thing I have gained through this experience is a re-energised mental strength, I know how to workout and eat healthy but now I have the mental power to discipline myself to follow that knowledge correctly.

I have to thank Mark for making me think differently and make the right choices when it comes to food and diet.  I'm almost tempted to buy a car just so that I can drive out to Farnham and have him as a PT or join in on his bootcamps, but for now I shall make do with subscribing to the 'Tribe Fit' programme he runs which offers online food, exercise and general healthy lifestyle tips and ideas.  If you are interested in finding out more of the programmes he offers you can follow him on Twitter at @MarkPT or visit his website http://www.theweightlosstips.co.uk/ 

Be warned though, once you have discovered Mark and his wonderful ways your life will be changed forever!

Farewell to my passport...the last remnant of my former life.

It was nearly eight years ago when I received my first adult passport and little did I know how it would accompany me on the most weird and wonderful experiences as I transitioned from a child into a fully fledged, travel loving woman.

I tentatively clutched it as I approached the passport desk at Heathrow Airport, a couple of months before my 19th birthday and carefully waited for the checkout lady to swipe it.  24 hours later on the other side, I beamed with pride as I was granted entry into Australia's homeland and received my first stamp.  The gratitude of being honoured with my first 'travel badge' was akin to a cub scout achieving his award to be sewn on his arm in recognition of passing one of the skills they can be awarded for.

I showed my passport with pride, I loved customs staff flicking through it as I hopped across Europe in subsequent years visiting Italy, Holland and Ireland as well as numerous trips to France and Spain during my time spent living and working abroad.  Furthermore, I loved the picture on my passport and never minded showing the staff my ID, proud that I had managed to take a good passport photo.  Alas, those days are gone as I will now be presenting them a face eight years older, although not necessarily wiser.

Every stamp I gained felt like a memory etched onto the page for eternity; South Africa, USA, Japan, USA, some more USA, Qatar, Fiji, USA again.  Every stamp gained was like a big tick on my memorised list of places I want to visit before I die, solid proof of my achievements in travelling far and wide.

Here are some of my favourite pictures from my adventures:

Enjoying a vino in Fiji

At the John Lennon tribute in Central Park

Visiting Ramsey Street

Getting in touch with the
South African wildlife

Enjoying the Qatari skyline

Enjoying a pint of Dom Perignon
in Vegas

Dressed as a Geisha in Kyoto

Taking in the sun at Laguna Beach,
Orange County

Posing in Prada on Rodeo Drive

At the top of Lombard Street
in San Francisco

I think there is only one thing that can cure my passport blues...and that is to book some more fabulous trips for my new one!!!

Halfway there!

I am now at the end of Day 9 of the 19 day detox and, after a tough three days, things are starting to feel better again.

The weekend was a challenge as there are a lot more temptations when you are not locked in a classroom keeping yourself busy for hours on end, but I managed to get through it without cheating or breaking the rules.  Monday morning I awoke and felt tired, hungry and emotional, I even burst into tears over something trivial at work which is not like me at all.  Last night I really started to worry about how I was going to cope with the first 19 hour fast.

Surprisingly today is the first day I have not thought about hunger/food at all. In some ways I was lucky that it happened on a Tuesday when I have a full teaching day and because I ended up having break time detentions as well as a lunchtime drama I did not even think about food until 2.15.  When I actually came to eat my lunch I found that I wasn't particularly hungry by this point and almost had to force it down me.  This has really made me start to question what I mistake as actual hunger and what is in fact physical hunger.  I didn't have a snack because I ate so late in the day and I have just come home from the gym to have my evening meal below.  I have just realised that I forgot my 'starchy carbs' so I am going to have a banana for dessert.

Tuna Steak, poached egg, asparagus, spinach and broccoli cooked in coconut oil, garlic and chilli

I am starting to realise that a lot of stuff I do not actually need, I just want and I have surprised myself in that I have not really craved any food.  Having said that, someone on TV just said 'I love you too marshmellow' which has just got me fantasising about hot chocolate and marshmellows!

I think moving forward from this plan I am going to continue with the no dairy/no wheat as I feel so much better for it.  I don't however want to give up coffee (with a little bit of milk) or alcohol because life is too short and they are both treats I enjoy.  I'm not a massive coffee drinker anyway, I drink 4-5 cups a week usually as a social thing with friends and I don't think there is any reason to suddenly forgo this...let's meet for a green tea just doesn't sound as much fun!

I haven't weighed/measured myself yet as I am not going to do this until the end but I am hoping that from here to the end is when the big results are going to come in, so I'm digging in my heels and sticking it out.

Yummy, healthy Sunday Brunch

I've just stumbled across a taste sensation I just had to share! I was having a bit of a panic because I needed to eat before I go to Waitrose and I didn't have a lot left in so I decided to see what I could make from the remnants of my fridge.

First I mashed an avocado with some diced onion and red chilli, drizzled in a bit of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I then steamed some spinach and poached 3 eggs before adding on top the last bit of smoked salmon I had left in the fridge. I seasoned with salt and pepper and voila...a healthy, tasty Sunday brunch.

I'm going to be enjoying this again and again from now on!

Chic and Seek

I have mentioned numerous times of my love for Vintage Rose, a shop on Richmond Hill that sells second hand designer wears and gives a slice of the profits to the original owner of the items.  Thus far I have picked up a Sonia by Sonia Rykiel Trench, some Alexander McQueen shoes and yesterday an Alexander McQueen coat as well as having to painfully avoid the place over certain items as I have suffered 6 months of frugality in the hangover of the big move down South and my wedding.  This period of suffering is nearly over however, and just at the right time a new love has entered my life.

A friend's sister has just started working for the website www.chicandseek.com and told me I had to check it out.  Funnily enough upon entering the website I remembered reading an article in a magazine or newspaper about this site when it was a start up business and I have already visited the site in its early days. When I first visited this site a few years ago I was of the mindset that I only wanted to buy designer items brand new, but a few years down the line and I have a completely different outlook on the whole 'vintage' trend and I think it is even more exciting to be able to buy one off pieces that others may not be wearing and work them into the current season's trends.  Furthermore, there are also items on here that are this season or transcends seasons such as the Mulsberry Bayswater and, now that I own a mixture of new and vintage items, I can only see the benefit in buying good quality, second hand pieces at a more affordable price.  I say more affordable but some of the items on the website (such as the Hermes, Birkins) are in no way 'affordable' but offer you the chance at owning a piece of fashion that may not be accessible to you by normal means.

Here are a selection of my favourite items currently listed on the site:

At an eye-watering £18, 500 there is no way I could ever afford this Ostrich  skin blue Kelly Birkin but I am sure you will all agree this is a rare fashion find to die for!

These tan leather Louboutin's are in my size, in excellent condition and a bargain at only £215.  If you are going to purchase red soles second hand make sure you see a picture of the underneath.  If you are buying pre-worn Louboutin's you have to accept that there will be wear on the red soles but you can always get them repainted (I don't know where in the UK but I had a pair I'd ruined done in Las Vegas and they looked new again!)

These Prada black leather gloves are an absolute steal at £70 and also affordable if you want to own a piece of Miuccia's fashion brand without breaking the bank.

And finally...if this Marc By Marc Jacobs purse (£50) is still available on payday next week it will be mine as I need a new purse that won't break the bank! Don't be getting in there before me!!

This website is great if you are just a bargain hunter looking for a fashion fix or even better if you live somewhere where these kind of things are not particularly accessible!  Check it out at www.chicandseek.com

Wintry Richmond and Alexander McQueen

Today was a wondrous winter's day in Richmond and another occasion where I felt like I had walked into a Dickension novel.  We were up and out early for a walk around Richmond Park after I completed my morning workout tabata training (11 minutes of mountain climbers, 20 seconds on 40 seconds off).  Below is the view of Richmond Gardens opposite my flat. It looked beautiful and was so nice to see families sledging down the hill, it always makes me feel so lucky that I live here.

After the walk, I was starving but it was only 10.00 am and I had to wait until half 11 for my first feed so I threw on a Pashmina and headed down the hill to see if I could try on the Alexander McQueen coat that I had been eyeing up in the window of Vintage Rose for the past two weeks...

I am wearing: Tesco headband / HnM Snood / Pasmina from John Lewis / Lusso London Cashmere gloves / Armani exchange leather and cotton trousers / Ash biker boots / Topshop jumper and Longchamp handbag.

       

Alas it fitted and what's more they knocked a further £25 off for me, making it a steal compared to what it should have been full price! The pictures of it are above, I cannot wait to wear it out!!

I then headed over to Hampton Wick near Kingston to get my nails done and immediately felt a lot better for it.  There is nothing worse than having chipped nail varnish, especially when it's gel and you just want to peel it off (something my manicurist told me off for, oops!)

OPI GEL, You don't know Jacques

I have really struggled to avoid caffeine today.  It's so cold, exactly the sort of afternoon for coffee and a cake! I've had to really push through and stick with the peppermint tea when all I really want to do is head to a coffee shop and have a big mug of coffee and a piece of chocolate cake!!  I did weigh myself this morning though (which is apparently not allowed, so my scales have now had the battery taken out of them by my husband) and I am 3lbs down in 5 days which is a great incentive to push through! Just another half a stone to go until I'm back at my wedding weight!!

I am going to have a power nap now to stave off the hunger pains before doing the second workout and having dinner followed by a movie off sky box office...detoxing is so not rock 'n' roll!

Bracing myself for the weekend!

Woohoo! I have made it through 5 (pretty stressful) days at work on the detox plan and this weekend is the first big test.  After the week I've had the first thing I would normally do is crack open a bottle of red or some of the fizzy stuff and go out for dinner but not tonight!!

I'm tired, achy and in a bit of a grump at the moment (having to abstain from alcohol when I know everyone else is in the pub!) but I am also proud that I have completed 5 days and I am digging my heels in to push through.  Not even the fact that I had psyched myself up to buy the Alexander McQueen coat in the window of the vintage shop on my street and it was shut due to snow can tempt me to fall off the wagon.  Besides, there's always tomorrow!

If this coat is in my size I am treating myself to it tomorrow morning (The McQueen on the right, not the Chanel!)

So tonight, I'm going to have a nice bath and relax and enjoy the fact that tomorrow I don't have to set my alarm for 5.30! In fact, I am going to set it for 8,30 and then head to the gym before going to get my nails done with a friend. I cannot wait!

The view from the School Terrace at 11.00 am 

After a full eight hours of snow, I donned my hunter wellies and trekked home along the river.  I could really feel my calves as I walked up Richmond Hill for the last stretch home but school to my house is exactly 40 minutes which fitted in nicely with the 40 minute of low intensity exercise as instructed on the plan.

Here's to a weekend of self-discipline and strong resolve!!